Friends and former teammates of Tom Moreton, the Cwmbran teenager who passed away last weekend, have paid a touching tribute to him.
The 19-year-old played football for Croesyceiliog AFC and was reported missing in the early hours of Sunday 25 June. His body was found later that day in the River Usk.
On Monday evening, nine footballs were kicked into the River Usk, each with messages about Tom written on them.
Two of Tom’s former junior football coaches met the group at the river in Newport. One of them said: “I’m still in contact with some of the boys’ parents. They wanted to go and kick some balls in the river. They were all upset.
“I offer to go and support them. They are all 18 or 19 and going through grief themselves. I got involved to support them.”
Each ball was covered in messages. The video’s soundtrack, Matt Johnson’s acoustic version of Stand By Me, was suggested by his friends
The messages included ‘brother for life’, ‘funniest person I’ve ever met’, ‘school was great because of you’ and ‘we will never forget you’.
Once the balls were kicked in, they stood together overlooking the river.
A fundraiser set up in his memory reached almost £9,000 in one day and now stands at £16,335.
Click here to make a donation.
Watch the video of his friends kicking balls into the River Usk
